A day in the life of a distractible lad, illustrated with almost magical brightness by the reigning Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award–winner. Cunnane invites readers to place themselves at the center of her warm tale of a boy who, sent out to mind his Grandfather’s cows, instead turns aside to enjoy a hot chepati from the proprietor of the local tea shop, hares off after a passing monkey, visits the kindly village chief, savors a drink from Grandmother and a sweet insect offered by a neighbor, then kicks a rag ball with a friend until the sun begins to sink. Guiltily recollecting his duty, the boy hurries toward the fields—only to meet his dignified Grandfather quietly bringing the cows in for the night. Smiling brown figures dressed in a mix of modern and traditional clothing fill the foregrounds in Juan’s luminous rural scenes, echoing the poetic text’s happy tone. Drawing on personal experiences, Cunnane opens with an acknowledgement of Kenya’s distinctive tapestry of languages and customs, but then goes on to show qualities in the character, community and play of one particular child of that land that mirror those of children everywhere. A rare excursion, glowing with love and laughter. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-689-86194-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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